PAIA Manual
Prepared in terms of section 51 of the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (as amended) · Date of compilation: 30 June 2026 · Last updated: 2 July 2026
1. Acronyms and Abbreviations
- IO
- Information Officer
- Minister
- Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
- PAIA
- Promotion of Access to Information Act No. 2 of 2000 (as Amended)
- POPIA
- Protection of Personal Information Act No. 4 of 2013
- Regulator
- Information Regulator
- Republic
- Republic of South Africa
2. Purpose of this Manual
This manual is published in terms of section 51 of PAIA. It allows members of the public to:
- Identify the categories of records held by Vula Careers that are available without a formal PAIA request;
- Understand how to make a formal request for access to records;
- Know which records are available under other legislation;
- Obtain the contact details of the Information Officer;
- Understand how Vula Careers processes personal information and what security measures are in place.
3. Key Contact Details — Vula Career Guide (Pty) Ltd
3.1 Information Officer
- Name
- Kyal Stahl
- Telephone
- 087 700 0748
- paia@vulacareers.co.za
- Fax
- N/A
3.2 Deputy Information Officer
No Deputy Information Officer has been designated. All PAIA requests are handled by the Information Officer above.
3.3 General Access to Information Contact
- paia@vulacareers.co.za
3.4 Head / Registered Office
- Company
- Vula Career Guide (Pty) Ltd (Reg. No. 2026/021440/07)
- Physical address
- 1 Dorchester Drive, Parklands, 7441
- Postal address
- 1 Dorchester Drive, Parklands, 7441
- Telephone
- 087 700 0748
- hello@vulacareers.co.za
- Website
- vulacareers.co.za
4. Guide on How to Use PAIA
The Information Regulator has published a guide on how to use PAIA (the "Guide"), available in all official languages and in braille, which explains:
- The objects of PAIA and POPIA;
- The contact details of Information Officers of public and private bodies;
- The manner and form of making a request for access to records;
- The assistance available from the Information Regulator;
- Remedies available if a request is refused.
The Guide can be obtained:
- Upon request to our Information Officer at paia@vulacareers.co.za; or
- From the Information Regulator's website: www.justice.gov.za/inforeg/
A copy of the Guide is available for public inspection during normal business hours in English and isiZulu.
5. Records Available Without a Formal PAIA Request
The following records are publicly available on our website without a person needing to submit a formal PAIA request:
| Category of Records | Types of Record | Available on Website | Available on Request |
|---|---|---|---|
| Privacy Policy | How we collect, use and protect personal information | Yes — vulacareers.co.za/privacy.html | Yes |
| POPIA Compliance Statement | How we meet the 8 conditions for lawful processing | Yes — vulacareers.co.za/popia.html | Yes |
| PAIA Manual | This document | Yes — vulacareers.co.za/paia.html | Yes |
| Terms of Use | Terms governing use of the Vula service | Yes — vulacareers.co.za/terms.html | Yes |
| Cookie Policy | How we use cookies on the website | Yes — vulacareers.co.za/cookies.html | Yes |
6. Records Available Under Other Legislation
| Category of Records | Applicable Legislation |
|---|---|
| Memorandum of Incorporation | Companies Act 71 of 2008 |
| PAIA Manual | Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 |
| POPIA compliance records | Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 |
7. Records Held by Vula Careers
| Subject | Categories of Records |
|---|---|
| Student assessment data | WhatsApp session records, RIASEC assessment responses, scores and career results, PDF career reports, consent timestamps, opt-in/opt-out choices |
| Waitlist registrations | Name, contact details (email or phone number) |
| Sponsor records | Sponsoring colleges, universities and training providers, their courses and RIASEC matching criteria — no learner personal information is included |
| Legal and compliance | Memorandum of Incorporation, PAIA manual, POPIA compliance statement, privacy policy |
| Operational / technical | Service provider contracts, system configuration records, security review documentation |
8. Processing of Personal Information
8.1 Purpose of Processing
Vula Careers processes personal information to:
- Deliver free RIASEC career assessments via WhatsApp to users in South Africa aged 12 and upwards;
- Generate personalised career guidance reports;
- Recommend relevant study pathways, institutions and bursary opportunities;
- Show learners courses and programmes from sponsoring institutions that match their profile (anonymous exposure — no learner data is shared with sponsors, and contact is always the learner's choice); and
- Comply with legal obligations.
8.2 Categories of Data Subjects and Personal Information Processed
| Category of Data Subjects | Personal Information Processed |
|---|---|
| Learners (high-school students and school leavers, many under 18) | WhatsApp phone number, first name, surname, age, province, assessment answers, RIASEC scores, career results, consent choices and timestamps |
| Waitlist subscribers | Name, contact details (email or phone number) |
| Service providers / operators | Contact details, contract information |
8.3 Recipients of Personal Information
Vula Careers does not share learner personal information with sponsoring institutions or bursary/funding providers. Sponsors pay to have their courses shown to matching learners in-app; this is anonymous exposure only, and any contact with a sponsor is initiated by the learner themselves.
| Category of Personal Information | Recipients |
|---|---|
| Assessment text (for AI processing) | Anthropic — under data processing terms |
| All personal data (storage and messaging) | Supabase (database), Twilio (WhatsApp messaging), Vercel (hosting) — under operator agreements |
| Any personal data | Information Regulator or other authorities where required by law |
8.4 Planned Transborder Flows of Personal Information
Vula Careers uses service providers that process or store personal information outside South Africa:
| Operator | Country | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Twilio | United States | WhatsApp message delivery |
| Supabase | United States / European Union | Database storage |
| Vercel | United States | Application and website hosting |
| Anthropic | United States | AI processing of assessment text |
Each provider maintains a level of protection comparable to POPIA requirements, in accordance with section 72 of POPIA.
8.5 Information Security Measures
Vula Careers implements the following security measures to protect personal information:
- Encryption in transit: All connections use HTTPS/TLS;
- Database access controls: Row-Level Security restricts database access; anonymous access is disabled;
- Webhook authentication: Twilio webhook requests are validated by cryptographic signature before processing;
- Token-gated reports: Career report PDFs are accessible only via a unique secure token;
- Minimal data collection: Only information necessary for the service is collected;
- Deletion on request: Users may reply DELETE via WhatsApp to have their data removed; and
- Restricted admin access: Dashboard access is protected by authenticated login.
9. Availability of this Manual
A copy of this manual is available:
- On our website at vulacareers.co.za/paia.html;
- At our head office (1 Dorchester Drive, Parklands, 7441) for public inspection during normal business hours;
- To any person upon request to paia@vulacareers.co.za, upon payment of the prescribed fee if a printed copy is required; and
- To the Information Regulator upon request.
10. Updating of this Manual
The head of Vula Career Guide (Pty) Ltd will update this manual on a regular basis to reflect changes in the company's operations, records, or applicable legislation.
Issued by:
Information Officer — Vula Career Guide (Pty) Ltd
2 July 2026